Furnace front



p 7' 1927' J. A. PHELAN FURNACE FRONT Filed March 21 1927 2 Sheets-Sheetl H .x 1,643,902 Sept 1927' J. A. P-HELAN FURNACE FRONT Filed March 211927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IIIIIILIIIIIII" Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,643,902 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. PHELAN, or GALVESTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR T0 E. B. KNOWLES, orGALVESTON,

TEXAS.

FURNACE FRONT..

Application filed March 21, 1927. Serial No. 177,181.

The present invention relates to furnace fronts, and more particularlyto a construc tion of furnace front for oil burningv furnaces.

An object of the present invention is to.

brick-' provide a furnace front containin work and which so supports thebrickwork and adjacent parts that an increased space is provided withinthe furnace and the rivets and plates at the forward end of the furnaceare protected from cold air and a larger amount of admixture of gas andair 1s provided in the combustion chamber of the furnace.

Another object of the invention is to provide a furnace front of thischaracter by the use ofwhich the natural draft of air through thefurnace front may be completely controlled, and wherein the draft of airis given a circumferential or spiral flow through the flame, so as tomeet varlable draft conditions through the furnace.

The invention further aims at the provision of a furnace frontconstructed of a number of parts which are interchangeable, so that thecarts may be easily removed or substituted in case of breakage inhandling and wherein the parts are of simple construction which may bereadily cast or otherwise constructed; and wherein the same may beeconomically produced.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will bemore fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols referv to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation partly broken away, of a furnace frontconstructed according to the present invention, the Oll feeding pipe ofthe burner shown 1n section on the line 11 in Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken centrally through thesame, as ap plied to one form of boiler;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 through Figure 2,showing the brickwork of the furnace front and the supporting structurefor the same;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2,showing the air regulating and feeding cylinder through which the burnertube projects; and

:Figure 5 is a side 'elevation of the air feeding device, showing themeans for securing the air controlling shutter in adjusted position.

Referrin to the drawings, 10 designates a boiler 01 any approved form,and which has an outer shell or casing 11 joined to the inner or mainsection 10 of the boiler by a front ring 12 of plate form fitted to theouter shell 11, and secured by studs 13 to a flange 14 turned outwardlyfrom the for ward end ofthe inner shell of the boiler.

The furnace front of this invention is adapted to be mounted in front ofthe ring plate 12, and over the open end of the boiler 10. The furnacefront comprises an outer ring 15 made in sections, as shown particularlyin Figures 1 and 3. The sections of the ring 15 are shown as four innumber, and are preferably identical, so that they may be interchangedwith one another and with other sections without requiring specially'constructed'sections for each portion of t e ring. The ring 15 isprovided with an attaching flange 16 at its inner end adapted forcontact with the flange 14 of the boiler 10 and provided with elongatedslots 17 adapted to receive the studs 13 therethrough, the slots 17admitting of adjustment of the flange 16 against the boiler 10 and totake up inequalities in the circumferential spacing of the studs 13. Thesections of the outer ring 15 are provided with abutting transverseflanges 18, disposed uopn the opposite ends of the ring sections, andadapted to be clamped together by bolts 19 or the like, to completethe-outer ring 15. The outer ring 15 carries therein a wall 20 built upof brick, and which is reinforced at th'ecentral portion of the wall 20by an inner ring-21 of cast metal or the like. The ring 21' is slightlylonger than the outer ring 15, and provides the central air and fuelpassage through the furnace front. The ring 21 is preferably thickenedor reinforced intermeditae its ends, as shown in Figure 2, and thereinforcement is of such construction thatthe interior wall of the ring21 flares at opposite ends and is constricted intermediate the ends ofthe ring. The wall 20 of brick completely fills the space between thetwo rings 15 and 21 and is adapted to close the front of the furnace orboiler 10. A front plate 22 of ring form fits about the outer end of theinner ring 21, and lies against the outer face of the brick wall 20. Thefront plate 22 is secured by bolts 23 to inwardly extending lugs 24,which are carried uponthe out-er ring 15, the brick wall 20, beingrecessed or cut away to accommodate the lugs 24, and the inner ends ofthe bolts 23. j

The front plate 22 is utilized for not only closing in the brick wall20, butalso for sup porting an air cylinder or drum 25, which may be inthe form of-a casting provided at its inner end with an outwardlyextending flange 26, secured by bolts 27 against the inner marginalportion of the front plate 22. The cylinder or drum 25 is provided withintegrally cast spiral ribs 28 on its inner side adapted to impart aspiral or whirling.

motion to a draft of air which flows longitudinally through the cylinderor drum 25.

The outer end of the drum 25. is provided with an outwardly extendingflange 29, against which abuts a radially slotted shutter 30, and whichin turn, is engaged by a second radially slotted plate 31, having a hub32 which is secured by a set screw '33, or the like, upon an axiallyextending burner tube 34. The tube 34 has acontrolling valve 35 and issuitably supported coaxially within the drum 25 and the inner ring 21.The tube 34 is provided with a. suitable burner nozzle 36 upon itsinnerend, which is dis posed preferably within the outer end of the ring21. The shutter 30 and the plate 31 are relatively movable abouttheburner tube 34, as an axis, in order to bring the slots in therespective shutter and plate more or less into register, so as to admitthe desired volume of air into the drum 25. When the shutter and plateare brought to the desired adjustment, such adjustment may be maintainedby a clamping bolt 37 carried by the plate 31, andengaging in a slot 38in the shutter 30. A Winged nut 39 is carried by the bolt 37 atpreferably the outer side of the structure, so that easy access may behad to the nut 39 for clamping the members in position as soon as thedesired adjustment is obtained.

A furnace front as constructed above delivers to the full .fire box areathe heating gases of such intensity that steam generating properties ofthe furnace are im-.

mensely'improved as compared with the other types of burner equipment.The assemblage and installation of this furnace front are simplifiedsuch that they can be readily removed, and replacement of parts may bequickly made so as to effect quick repairs, particularly nnportant inmarine work.

during steaming period and provides efficiency in oil burners. Whencertain furnaces,

This improved furnace front maintains the maximum steam pressureconstantly tightly to prohibit any cold air drafts to enter through orabout the furnace front, so that the heat is retained and there is thuseliminated anyundue strains and a considerable reduction in repairmaintenance; The

and to consequently make themchave an increased furnace and boilerefficiency.

l/Vhen the shutter 30 and plate 31 arcadjusted with their openings moreor less in register, a natural draft of air is permitted to flow.through the drum 25 and the blades or fins 28 impart a spiral orwhirling motion to the air, as it passes through the drum 25, and intothe inner ring 21. The airstream is reflected or converged into thegaseous spray delivered from the burnerhead 36, and is-causedto'thoroughly intermingle therewith not only by virtue of the deflectionof the air into the spray, but also by virtue ofthe spiral or whirlingmotion imparted to the air stream, so that athorimproved furnace frontprevents rapid coola ing of the highly heated areas, because of tillough admixed mass of air and gas is delivered into the combustionchamber of the boiler 10. By merely releasing the winged nut 39, theregister 30 and plate 31 may be relatively moved so as to close theopenings into the drum 25. Such adjustment closes off all drafts throughthe furnace front, so that the sudden cooling of the heated surfaceareas within the furnace front. and boiler 10 is prevented.

It will be obvious that many changes in the construction, combinationand arrangement of parts could be made, which could be usedwithoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean tolimit the invention to such details, except as par ticularly pointed outin the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. In combination with aboilershelhga lilt) furnace front comprising a front wall of re-.

carried by the outer portion of the drum and a nozzle projecting throughthe drum.

2. In combination With a boiler shell, a furnace front comprising abrick wall having a central opening, an outer metallic sectional ringextending about said brick Wall and having a flange extending againstthe boiler shell and connected thereto, means for removably securing thesections of the outer ring together, said outer ring having inwardlyextending lugs, an inner ring lying in the central opening of the brickWall and extending outwardly of the brick Wall, a

front metallic plate placed against the brick Wall and extending oversaid lugs and secured thereto, the said front plate having a centralopening received about the projecting end of the inner ring, a flangeddrum forming an extension of the inner ring fitted thereagainst andagainst said front plate and removably secured to the front plate, anadjustable air register at the outer portion of the drum, spiral vanesin the drum, and a nozzle projecting through the drum and into the innerring.

JOHN A. PHELAN.

